Envisioning food that is good for you, good for the people who grow it, and good for the planet

Come eat as local as it gets -- right off the farm! Honeyhill Farm is a certified organic farm in Livonia and grows some of the best chickens you ever have tasted. Slow Food Rochester will be providing chicken right off the farm, and sweet corn from nearby. Please bring a dish made from healthy local ingredients to share: appetizers, salads, desserts, and/or beverages (local beer and wine allowed).

Dinner will start 5:30-6:00PM. Come early, from 4PM on, for farm tours and lively discussion. Come see how chickens and cows should be raised - out in the fields.

It is also just past Autumn equinox. As a celebration of this event, they'll be two large bonfires in the fields at dusk, weather allowing.

We’re planning an exciting month of events as a way of celebrating Slow Food in September. On Friday September 2nd, we will be hosting a First Friday event with Joe Bean Coffee Roasters- art, slow food and great coffee! In addition, we’re planning a series of slow food potlucks throughout the month. Please contact right away if you might be interested in hosting a potluck. These can be small or large, just a few of your friends or open to all. Its a chance for everyone to meet other Slow Food enthusiasts in the area and build friendships and community. We have put together a local food finder to help you plan your meals.

Twenty people came to the meet the board on July 24th! We had people who are farmers, cooks, teachers, food producers, entrepreneurs, young and not-so-young, and of course, all lovers of food! Everyone had lots to say and there was a real excitement about engaging a new, active Slow Food chapter in Rochester. We all talked about how we came to care about food and what we would like to see happen with Slow Food Rochester. For more information, check our past events blog.

If you missed the meeting and would like to be involved, please fill out the questionnaire that we had at the meeting!

Meet the new board of directors and get engaged in changing the food system! Find out what you can learn from Slow Food Rochester and what Slow Food Rochester can learn from you! Please RSVP at slowrochester@gmail.com. Call 585-330-4410 for more information.

The farmer’s market season is in full swing, so now you can find a market open almost every day in the Rochester area! Here’s a list by day. If we’ve missed one, please contact us at the email below and we’ll add to the list!

At this time of year, many people think there’s no locally produced food available. The winter crops are gone and its too early for the spring crops. Well, there’s still lots of variety available. Here’s what I found at the Rochester Public Market today. There are winter crops stored from last fall, including squash, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and beets. Then there are the fresh produce grown under glass, including tomatoes and many types of greens. Many of these are hydoponic, but also for the first time I saw soil-grown organic greens available, grown in Penfield by Fresh Wise! And finally, the smallest category this month, produce harvesting from open air fields. The only thing I saw this time were ramps, a delicacy in the onion/garlic family. They have a wonderful pungent flavor and can be used in recipes like onions and garlic. Last night I also just fried some up in butter and a little hot pepper - delicious.

Finally, there are a vast variety of animal products that are available all year. There’s every type of cut of beef and pork, chickens, and a wide range of charcuterie. This week I saw dried beef, chorizo sausage, breakfast sausages, and italian sausage. Lamb is available by advanced order from Rick Austin, And of course, a wide variety of locally produced milk products, milk, cream, butter, yoghurt, and a good variety of locally made cheeses. We mostly eat raw milk cheeses, and this week I bought Meadow Creek Farm Raw Milk Cheddar, and Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese’s Red Meck Gouda. Eggs, ranging from organic pastured eggs to more conventionally produced eggs, are available from a wide range of vendors. And, if you’re so inclined, there’s live chickens and rabbits!

So its perfectly possible to eat mostly local even in April, especially if you’ve preserved some fruit and berries from last summer. We mostly freeze fruit such as blueberries, peaches, strawberries, as it the least amount of work!

For Inspiration...A regular feature showing possibilities for change....Pam Warhurst created a grassroots movement that has transformed the town on Todmorgen in the UK, with food plants throughout the town, creating a vibrant local food economy! see previous features

Changing the Food System…A regular feature on the politics of food....Ann Cooper talks about the coming revolution in the way kids eat at school -- local, sustainable, seasonal and even educational food.see previous features

Slow Food Rochester is a chapter of Slow Food USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting good, clean, and fair food production and consumption. To learn more see our page here.We are a proud member of the international Slow Food community.

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Donations to Slow Food Rochester are tax deductable to the extent allowed by law.